Category Archives: Catalogues

Lockdown Reading: Welsh Saints on the Mormon Trail

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

When we were living in the USA in 2000-1 we flew to Jackson Hole in Wyoming via Salt Lake City.  That last flight to Jackson Hole was the most unpleasant flight I’ve taken before or since, shaken and bounced over … Continue reading →

Posted in Ajax Underground Store, Buildings, Catalogues, Cooperatives, Department Stores, Emigration, Historic Shops, History, Mormons, Places, Retail History, Retailers, Retailing, Uncategorized, USA, Wales, Zion Co-operative Mercantile Institution | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Try Before You Buy: A ‘Returns Tsunami’?

Posted on April 20, 2018 by Leigh Sparks

The rise of the internet as a channel of purchase and distribution has been a major transformation for consumers and also for many retailers.  Whilst distance selling including mail order had been present for centuries, the internet offers a radically … Continue reading →

Posted in Asos, Availability, Catalogues, Consumer Choice, Internet shopping, Loyalty, Membership, Returns, Supply Chains, Sustainable Development, Try before you buy | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

“Argos catalogues – a fascinating historical archive”

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Leigh Sparks

Rather to my surprise, in the eight or so years this blog has been in existence I seem not to have mentioned my collection of Argos catalogues, except tangentially.  Built up and in-filled after an initial donation some 20 years … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Argos, Brands, Catalogues, Consumer Change, Corporate History, Design, History, Milton Keynes, Pricing, Products, Research, Retail brands, Retail Change, Retail History, Retailers, Social Change | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

If I had a hammer …

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Leigh Sparks

I am useless at DIY as anyone who knows me can testify. I can wield a hammer but other tools are beyond me, and whilst in my long ago youth I spent a golden summer as a brickie’s labourer, no … Continue reading →

Posted in B&Q, Catalogues, Closure, DIY, International Retailing, Internet shopping, Online Retailing, Screwfix, Space | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Online vs Offline: Like for Like?

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Leigh Sparks

So the received wisdom about Christmas is that it was an online one. Retailers with good online offers – or perhaps more accurately  – compelling multi-channel approaches, did really well, and those without, well, did without, Thus the march onwards … Continue reading →

Posted in Catalogues, Christmas, Closure, Internet, Multichannel, Online Retailing, Sainsbury, Scottish Retail Sales, Tesco | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Comet and the Argosnauts

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Leigh Sparks

Over the last week the press has been full of the demise of Comet – the biggest retail failure since the death of Woolworths in the words of some papers – and (as can be seen in our Media Commentary … Continue reading →

Posted in Catalogues, Closure, Comet, Competition, Consumer Change, Internet shopping, Online Retailing, Private Equity | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments